Crop Insurance Policies to Be Approved Only After Verification from Kharif 2026; Rajasthan Govt Issues New Guidelines

Two months after the beginning of Kharif season, the Rajasthan government has issued new guidelines for crop insurance policies under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). The policies will now be approved only after completion of the verification process. The Agriculture Department has issued new guidelines that will come into effect from Kharif 2026. The move aims to prevent incorrect crop insurance policies, reduce disputes at the time of claim settlement and protect farmers’ interests. 

Agriculture Commissioner Naresh Kumar Goyal said that crop insurance policies of non-loanee farmers will be verified as per the prescribed procedure, and the entire responsibility for this will rest with the concerned notified insurance company. The department has directed insurance companies and district-level officials to strictly comply with the new guidelines.

Verification to Be Ensured at the Policy Creation Stage

According to the Agriculture Department, in several cases involving loanee farmers, consent is not obtained from farmers while creating crop insurance policies, and the actual crop sown does not match the crop insured. This leads to disputes at the time of claim settlement after crop losses. The government believes that these issues need to be addressed at the policy approval stage itself by verifying the crop and other relevant details. Accordingly, the policy approval process has been made more stringent from Kharif 2026.

Farmer Application, Crop and Land Records to Be Matched

Under the new guidelines, verification of insurable interest, as prescribed under the Operational Guidelines 2023 of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, will be the responsibility of the concerned insurance company. Before approving a policy, the farmer’s application, the actual crop sown and land records will have to be cross-verified. The insurance policy will be approved only after these details have been verified.

The department has clarified that verification will not be limited to documentary records. Physical verification and technological tools will also be used to establish the actual status of the crop. Physical verification, crop health monitoring surveys and technology will be used to match the actual crop sown with the crop insured.

If the insured area under any particular crop is found to be higher than the average sown area, the concerned insurance policies will be mandatorily examined. The government has also provided for withholding payment of the state’s premium share in case the prescribed guidelines are not followed. The objective is to prevent cases where an abnormally large area is shown as insured compared with the actual area under cultivation in a particular region.

E-Girdawari and DCS Survey Reports to Help Verify Claims

In cases where a discrepancy is found between the insured crop and the actual crop area, the relevant details will be cross-verified using e-Girdawari/DCS survey reports in coordination with the District Collector and the Joint Director Agriculture (Extension).

District-level officials concerned will be responsible for providing the required reports whenever sought by the insurance company. This mechanism is expected to help resolve discrepancies related to crops and insured areas during the policy approval process.

Option to Stop Auto-Approval in Case of Delay

The government has also directed authorities to ensure compliance with the prescribed timeline for policy approval. In case of delays in the approval process, a request may be made to stop auto-approval. If a policy is found to have been wrongly approved, it may be reverted on the recommendation of the district-level monitoring committee.

The government has also made it clear that any financial or other liability arising from the incorrect approval of a policy will be entirely borne by the concerned insurance company.

District-Level Monitoring Committee to Oversee Process

The Rajasthan government has directed all concerned insurance companies and district-level officials to strictly comply with the new guidelines. Reports relating to the approval and rejection of crop insurance policies will be placed before the district-level monitoring committee. This will strengthen regular monitoring of the policy approval process and facilitate identification of incorrect approvals and appropriate action against them.

Focus on Reducing Claim-Related Disputes

According to the state government, the primary objective of the new guidelines is to enhance transparency in the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. Verification of farmer, land and crop details before issuance of the policy is expected to reduce disputes related to claim settlement following crop losses.

The new system is particularly aimed at preventing disputes arising from discrepancies between the actual crop sown and the crop insured. At the same time, placing responsibility for financial risks arising from incorrect policy approvals on insurance companies is expected to improve accountability in the process.